Perfil

The grapevine is a key ancestral crop in the economy of many civilizations. In Bolivia, the cultivation of vineyards began with the arrival of the Spanish in the sixteenth century, with the introduction of the first plantations in the Mizque region. Afterwards, the cultivation of vineyards expanded to other Bolivian valleys, arriving into the valleys of Los Cintis in Chuquisaca and afterwards into the valleys of Tarija.

The cultivation of Bolivian vineyards is developed with a multipurpose focus and for different destinations: table grapes and the manufacture of wines and singanis. Fundación Valles channels its efforts towards introducing practices for the production of table grapes. The Fundación Valles Table Grapes Program began in 2003 and seeks to promote the development of the national vineyard sector, position the product in the domestic market, improve its quality and promote the interaction of various parties involved in any and all of the links of the production chain.

The Bolivian grape production is concentrated in the department of Tarija where more than 85% of the vineyards are located. It is estimated that about 2,000 hectares are planted with vineyards (more than 80% are of the variety Moscatel de Alejandría) on a national level. About 50% of this production is destined for the market as table grapes and the other 50% to the processing industry. The trade value of this production chain exceeds US $15 million. The efforts of the program have been oriented towards improving competitiveness and productivity at existing vineyards in order to promote the table grape. In the same way, new table grape varieties have been introduced in various agro-ecological contexts. The focus of integrated crop management has allowed technological jumps for small producers, allowing them to increase their yields per surface area unit and to reduce their postharvest losses and costs of production.

Innovaciones

Orientation of the production to table grapes

Development and provision of an integrated crop management technological package in accord with each area (systems of vine support and pruning, plant health check schedules, management of pests and diseases, safe use of agrochemicals, weed control, fertilization and irrigation)

Development of a technological package for ecological table grapes

Establishment of nurseries and training in the high quality seedling production

Introduction and distribution of material of the Red Globe, Ribier, Italia, Cardinal, Dawn and Thompson varieties

Validation of three hail protection netting systems

Development and distribution of a technological package for harvest and postharvest management (determination of the optimal timing of harvest, thinning of the bunches, selection, classification and packing)

Promotion and consolidation of a packing format of 20 kg, reducing postharvest losses by 30%

Development of specialized harvest brigades in mobile packing machines

Installation of two gathering centres with cold storage for sale of grapes out of season

Doing a risk analysis for pests and arranging for permission for Bolivian grapes to enter the markets of Brazil and Paraguay

Making a national quality standard for table grapes with the Bolivian Institute of Standards and Quality